


May 20th - The Day I Met Him

by grindeldore



Series: Ice and Fire [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-24
Updated: 2016-05-24
Packaged: 2018-06-10 10:53:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6953680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grindeldore/pseuds/grindeldore
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happened that summer in Godric's Hollow after Kendra Dumbledore died and Albus met Gellert. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends." Set during HBP and 1898</p>
            </blockquote>





	May 20th - The Day I Met Him

The midday sun was high in the sky as Albus walked through the deserted village of Godric’s Hollow. Where everyone was, he knew not, but the streets were silent and the only movement came from the trees who danced in the gentle breeze. The man strolled past the house of Bathilda Bagshot, the eccentric but esteemed historian with whom Albus had developed a friendship, though it appeared she, too, was out for the day. Pulling a strand of hair off of his black waistcoat, a sudden movement grabbed the man’s eye, and he whipped his wand out of his pocket. At 14 ¼ inches made from cypress wood with a unicorn hair core, the wand was one of Albus’ most treasured possessions. Ollivander had told the eleven-year-old on his visit to Diagon Alley in August when he purchased the wand some nine years ago that it was a fine specimen, good for transfiguration and unlikely to be drawn towards the Dark Arts. He had also said that the cypress wood indicated that Albus would be a heroic man, and that Ollivander was always honoured to meet the owner of such a wand. Albus, at the time, had smiled politely, paid, and left, but now he was convinced he was destined to fulfil the greatness the wand had promised him. 

A lanky, strange-looking man jumped down agilely from the stone wall surrounding Bagshot’s garden and surveyed Albus curiously. The man was taller than Albus by a few inches, and his long, wavy blond hair brushed against his broad shoulders as he walked towards the shorter man. His eyes were a startling blue, similar to Albus’, and he smiled in an alluring manner, which Albus felt inexplicably drawn to. The character was wearing clothes similar to Albus: a waistcoat; long trousers; a long-sleeved white shirt; and black shoes.

“Put that away,” he said in a soft eastern European accent, nodding at the wand pointed threateningly towards him, “Unless, of course, you are planning to use it.”

Albus stayed silent, but complied and tucked the wand back into his pocket. 

“The name’s Grindelwald,” the man continued, extending his hand confidently, “Gellert Grindelwald. I’m here for the summer to stay with my Great-Aunt, Bathilda.”

Albus took Gellert’s large hand in his own and shaked it cautiously, “Albus Dumbledore.”

The two separated and stood back from each other, not taking their eyes off the other for a single moment. 

“I didn’t know Ms Bagshot had a nephew,” Albus stated, discreetly probing for more information. 

“Neither did she until a few years ago,” Gellert replied, “I’m her sister’s grandson. We live in Europe, and Bathilda never even knew I existed until I wrote to her a few years ago.” There was a short pause, in which Gellert looked around thoughtfully at the trees, “Dumbledore, you say? Bathilda has mentioned you quite a few times. She seemed quite eager that you and I met.”

“Oh, really?” Dumbledore asked, suddenly warming to the man.

“Yes, she sent me your paper on cross-species transfiguration recently, and I must say, it was very impressive,” Gellert smiled warmly and his white, perfectly straight teeth dazzled Albus. 

“Well... thank you,” Albus smiled shyly in reply. His stomach was a pit of Devils Snare at the minute, and it seemed to have caused a sudden timidity in his presentation.

“Are you occupied at the moment, or do you have time to walk with me?” Gellert asked, his dreamy smile still plastered on his face. 

“I’m just going into town to buy some eggs and milk, but you’re welcome to join me,” Albus replied and, as Gellert nodded, the pair took off down the cobbled road to the town square. 

They spoke about the usual sorts of things: family life, interests, the weather, and Bathilda, and found they had much in common, especially in their passion for advanced magic. 

“So what brings you to Godric’s Hollow?” Albus asked, laughing from a joke that Gellert had just told about a troll, a unicorn, and an elderly wizard. 

“Ignotus Peverell,” Gellert replied, also grinning widely. 

“Pardon?” Albus looked into Gellert’s twinkling eyes. 

“Ignotus Peverell,” Gellert repeated, “You do know who he is, don’t you?” 

“Sorry... no,” Albus apologised, finding himself feeling quite foolish. 

“It’s not a problem, I am just surprised. Surely you know the stories of the Deathly Hallows?” Gellert questioned, to which Albus nodded, briefly running through his knowledge of the Tale of the Three Brothers from the fairy tales of Beedle the Bard, “Well, legend has it that the three brothers were the Peverell brothers, and I found out that one of them, the youngest, died here in Godric’s Hollow.”

“Are you sure? That’s just a children’s story, Gellert; it’s not fact,” Albus said, confused. 

“Don’t be too sure, Albus,” Gellert replied and then took off at a jog towards the grocer’s shop, leaving the elder boy struggling to keep up with Gellert’s long legs and fast pace. 

\------

Albus sat down behind his desk and sighed. Fawkes, from his perch next to him, made a few soft noises and then tucked his head under his wing and slept. Though that had been over 90 years ago, the day he met Gellert Grindelwald seemed like only yesterday to the elderly man, and with a twirl of his wand and the muttering of an incantation, a silvery, smoky figure erupted from the end of the elder wand and flew magnificently through the air before circling back around and squarking triumphantly, disturbing the sleeping bird, who awoke and was bemused to witness a patronus in the form of a phoenix dancing through the office.


End file.
